Virgin Weekend First Upgrades

[drevil0208]

Doing SailRail from Dublin - London in February on a Saturday. How does the Weekend First upgrade work? Can you buy it from the ticket office prior to boarding? Or only from the guard? Can you sit in an unreserved First Class seat and then just pay the guard when he/she checks tickets?

 

[graham43404]

Doing SailRail from Dublin - London in February on a Saturday. How does the Weekend First upgrade work? Can you buy it from the ticket office prior to boarding? Or only from the guard? Can you sit in an unreserved First Class seat and then just pay the guard when he/she checks tickets?

That's what we have always done with Virgin and East Coast at weekends.

Pretty much all the time with Virgin its cheaper to buy a standard advance then upgrade rather than first class advance in the first place.

 

[SS4]

Doing SailRail from Dublin - London in February on a Saturday. How does the Weekend First upgrade work? Can you buy it from the ticket office prior to boarding?

Yes although I've never tried it because...

Or only from the guard? Can you sit in an unreserved First Class seat and then just pay the guard when he/she checks tickets?

Yes and since Pendos are rarely full they allow the upgrade on advance tickets most of the time

 

[telstarbox]

Also note that (see here):

On weekends and Bank Holidays, upgrades to First Class on Virgin Trains is free of charge if holding a Standard Class Anytime ticket by approaching the Train Manager.

 

[voyagerdude220]

I've always found the "approaching the Train Manager" bit confusing- Why would the TM want to be approached by every single pax doing the free upgrade before they take a seat?

I can see that other pax may have a "proper" First Class ticket, and therefore get priority in the event of FC being full, but the TM would be able to deal with that when they check tickets anyway.

The last time I remember doing the anytime upgrade was on a Super Voyager, I was in a group of four around one of the two four-seat tables in coach E, showed our tickets to the TM, who happily stamped them as normal.

Going off topic, XC removed the free anytime upgrade a while ago..

 

[rail-britain]

How does the Weekend First upgrade work?

Depends on ticket type, please advise

Unlikely to be an Advance Single, so I would simply seek out an unreserved seat, place your luggage there, then walk down to the shop where the Train Managers office is
Advise you want a Weekend First Class upgrade
As above, for some ticket types it is currently free
If it is free, then get it done there and then, you can then pickup your free drinks and snacks whilst at the shop!

 

[drevil0208]

Depends on ticket type, please advise

Unlikely to be an Advance Single, so I would simply seek out an unreserved seat, place your luggage there, then walk down to the shop where the Train Managers office is
Advise you want a Weekend First Class upgrade
As above, for some ticket types it is currently free
If it is free, then get it done there and then, you can then pickup your free drinks and snacks whilst at the shop!

Is a SailRail ticket an Anytime ticket?

 

[AlterEgo]

I've always found the "approaching the Train Manager" bit confusing- Why would the TM want to be approached by every single pax doing the free upgrade before they take a seat?

That's only if you hold a Std Anytime.

The number of people doing this on any given train is less than one.

 

[sutrakhk]

I tried to do that for my last visit to UK, I was doing Dublin-Holyhead-Manchester Airport on 21 August, when I arrived Holyhead, I asked the train manager at the platform and she said the rail and sail ticket was NOT valid for upgrading to First Class or I have to buy a new ticket if I really need to sit in the First Class.

 

[dvboy]

Is a SailRail ticket an Anytime ticket?

Not from Dublin-Holyhead. Belfast-Stranraer is.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Going off topic, XC removed the free anytime upgrade a while ago..

XC won't upgrade on an Advance ticket either.

 

[route:oxford]

Listen for announcements.

Sometimes, on Pendolino services, Weekend First upgrades are only offered in certain coaches.

Not that Weekend First offers any great incentive on Virgin. Better seat of course, but just tea, coffee and biscuits really.

 

[lookingforit35]

Listen for announcements.

Sometimes, on Pendolino services, Weekend First upgrades are only offered in certain coaches.

Not that Weekend First offers any great incentive on Virgin. Better seat of course, but just tea, coffee and biscuits really.

Agreed. The best part of the Virgin 1st Class is the food - well I quite enjoy the cooked breakfast anyway! Take that away and there isnt a great deal of difference, although access to a window view is something of a novelty compared to Standard. I usually take a cheap 1st Class out of London on a weekday, and get a off peak Standard single back making for a cost effective journey.

I'd be inclined to find a nice quiet airline style seat in Standard, ignoring the seat allocated to you which is inevitably next to the toilet!

 

[dvboy]

Agreed. The best part of the Virgin 1st Class is the food - well I quite enjoy the cooked breakfast anyway! Take that away and there isnt a great deal of difference, although access to a window view is something of a novelty compared to Standard. I usually take a cheap 1st Class out of London on a weekday, and get a off peak Standard single back making for a cost effective journey.

I'd be inclined to find a nice quiet airline style seat in Standard, ignoring the seat allocated to you which is inevitably next to the toilet!

I tend to go for the table seats in Coach A (quiet) in Standard if I can.